England, though it is hardly necessary to observe, that the present condition of the dignity retains few traces of its original character and accompanying duties. Till the reign of Henry III. this dignity, together with that of Baron, wholly constituted the nobility of the realm. Between these two periods, earldoms seem in several instances to have been enjoyed like baronies, as a consequence of the tenure of certain lands; which, when forfeited to the Crown, and conferred upon others, or when inherited in the natural course of descent, carried with them to their new owner the title of Earl. But upon this point there is much difference of opinion; the Committee of the House of Lords (which was appointed to investigate the dignity of a peer of the realm) maintaining, that earldoms were personal, and that the grants of lands had not the effect of conferring the title. Mr. Cruise, in his work upon titles of honour, describes three kinds of earls:-1st, Those whose titles were annexed to the possession of whole counties, with regal jurisdiction, constituting feudal kingdoms in themselves, and being described as counties palatine; of this kind were Chester, Pembroke, Durham, &c.; but the privileges of earls palatine were much abridged by Henry VIII. 2ndly, Those who were created by the king, earls of a county, without enjoying its possession, or participating in any of the privileges of an earl palatine properly so called, but only possessing a right to the third part of the profits arising from the pleas in the County Court. 3rdly, Those to whom the Crown granted a considerable tract of land, to be held per servitium

M

unius comitatus, erecting the tract into a county, for the constitution of an earldom.

But for many centuries earldoms have always been conferred by letters patent or charters, and from the multiplication of titles, counties have long since been exhausted in furnishing names for dignities of different dgerees, so that estates, villages, and families have, of late years, afforded the majority of designations on the creation of earls.

The style by which an earl is addressed, is, " The Right Honourable the Earl of ." On some occasions heralds give him the title of "Puissant Prince," but by the Crown he is officially addressed as "our right trusty and right well beloved cousin ;" a mode of appellation, according to Blackstone, as ancient as the reign of Henry IV., who, being actually related or allied to every earl then in the kingdom, (either through his wife, his mother, or his sisters), artfully and constantly acknowledged that connexion in all his letters and other public acts. The reader will, however, observe, that viscounts are also designated by the king as cousins, though not styled "right" well beloved; and they were constituted a rank in the peerage by Henry the Fourth's grandson, Henry VI.

In England there are twice as many barons as earls, but the two together form fully three-fourths of the whole peerage. In Scotland the proportion is reversed, for there are twice as many earls as barons, and the two combined form more than threefourths of the peerage. In Ireland, on the other hand, the number is as nearly as possible alike, viz.

73 barons and 74 earls, but when combined, they also constitute three-fourths of the whole peerage. An earl can retain and qualify five chaplains.

VISCOUNT.

"For here lies one who ne'er preferr'd
A viscount to a marquis yet."

MOORE, Epitaph on a Tuft-hunter.

THE next title in rank to that of a baron is the viscount; and as the former is the most ancient, so the latter is the most modern in its institution, among the gradations of the peerage. It was introduced into England in 1440, by Henry VI., and is always conferred by letters patent, the limitations expressed in which regulate the course of descent.

Its name is derived from vice-comes, a word which had been long used to denote the sheriff of a county. The French were the first to adopt it as a titular designation, and with them it was always a feudal dignity, annexed to the possession of lands. Their modification of the Latin term (viz. viscount), was transferred to the English peerage when the title was introduced among the hereditary dignities of this country.

Viscounties in England have not been extensively conferred; but as a portion of the Irish peerage, their comparative frequency is considerable. Thus, up to 1841, the number created in England amounted to 130, of which only 20 were then in existence, the remaining 110 being extinct, forfeited, or in abeyance; in the Scottish peerage, 41 had been created, of which only six remained; while in Ireland 161 had been conferred, of which 43 were then in exist

ence. Thus, out of a gross Irish peerage of 222, forty-three titles were viscounties, or about one-fifth of the whole; while in England the proportion was not more than one-twentieth, viz. 20, out of a total of 404, and in Scotland, the proportion was about one-fourteenth, viz. six out of a gross peerage of 83 members.

The style of a viscount, is "The Right Honourable Lord Viscount," and he is officially addressed by the Crown as our right trusty and well beloved cousin." He can qualify and retain four chaplains.

BARON.

"What is a lord? Doth that plain simple word
Contain some magic spell? as soon as heard
Like an alarum bell on night's dull ear

Doth it strike louder, and more strong appear
Than other words ?"

CHURCHILL.

BARONS, although enjoying a title of the highest antiquity in its origin, at present hold the lowest rank in the peerage. Anciently, the great council of the nation was composed of men who, under the feudal system, held lands from the Crown, which were denominated baronies, and they were themselves described as "barons by tenure." (See TENURE.) Subsequently, and before the extinction of the barons by tenure, writs of summons, and still later, letters patent, became the method of creation. For details on these matters, the reader is referred to the several articles" TENURE,"-" WRIT OF SUMMONS,"

&c.

LETTERS PATENT,"-" BARONIES JURE UXORIS,"

The right of the sovereign to add to the peerage at pleasure, has led gradually to the introduction of nobles, sometimes with, and sometimes without, the title of baron,-without, in fact, any lordship or seigniory properly so called, though they are always addressed as lords, and always presumed to be seigniors of some place; a few peers of Ireland, created since the union, have taken their titles from places in England, but the name of an English county is never introduced into the patent. Lord Rendlesham is of Rendlesham, without any county. Lord Macdonald is of Slate, in the county of Antrim, whereas Slate is in the Hebrides; Lord Newborough is " of Ireland," and numerous other anomalies might be mentioned.

Even at the present day some of the peers are not barons, as they, or their ancestors, were ennobled immediately by a higher title; but the greater number of dukes, marquises, earls, and viscounts, possess baronies in addition to their higher dignity. It has been a common practice, in adding members of the Scottish or Irish peerage to the legislative portion of the nobility, to give them baronies of the united kingdom, by which means they sit and vote in the house of Lords, but elsewhere enjoy the higher rank and precedence which their national title confers.

Barons are styled "Right Honourable," and addressed officially by the Crown as "right trusty and well beloved." A baron may retain and qualify three chaplains, and his baroness two.